


there came a wind like a bugle

by possibilityleft



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Family, Gen, Motherhood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-22
Updated: 2013-04-22
Packaged: 2017-12-09 03:57:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,445
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/769704
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/possibilityleft/pseuds/possibilityleft
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Five people Pema might have been, and the one she turned out to be.  <em>Pema was only doing semi-pro-bending, which meant a ridiculous amount of practice and virtually no spectators at their matches, which were often scheduled for off-peak hours in the mid-afternoon.</em></p>
            </blockquote>





	there came a wind like a bugle

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Elviella](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elviella/gifts).



> There is some implied infidelity in part 4. Titles from "There came a Wind Like a Bugle" by Emily Dickinson.

_1\. the living looked that day_

Pema never wanted to be a bender. This seemed to be a rare attitude when she was growing up. Her siblings were always playing games that mentioned bending, whether it was historically inaccurate reenactments of the Fire Nation/Air Nomad war, skipping rhymes that told you what element your kids would bend, or any of half a dozen other games. Her grandfather was an earthbender, and so was her eldest brother, but it never occurred to her to want that for herself. She was happy as she was.

She moved to Republic City with her husband not long after they got married. Her first husband had died young; this was a second marriage, more practical than passionate. He was kind to her, though, and when he'd asked her if she would be willing to move so he could pursue his desire to own a grocery store, she said yes. She liked the city more than she thought she would. There was always something going on, the bustle of life, and she was never bored when she was working in the store.

One day a polite young man came in and asked her if he could leave flyers at the counter. The flyers were stark, black and white and red, and they said EQUALITY across the top. The man spent some time explaining and told her where they were meeting that evening, if she wanted to come.

The rally was at nine, and the crowd spilled out of the building at midnight. Pema was among them, watching her breath cloud the clear night and feeling like a brand new person, full of new ideas.

She'd never wanted to be a bender, and today, she'd finally understood why.

 

_2\. the bell within the steeple wild_

For Jinora's thirteenth birthday, Tenzin took her on a tour of the Air Temples. Sometimes he worried about his daughter, secretly, in a way he'd never tell Lin. He worried that although she was an airbender, that she wasn't Air Nation, that he wasn't good enough to teach her on his own. Or he worried that she didn't want to be an Air Nomad. She was quiet, serious, and utterly grounded, with her mother's deadpan humor. She listened carefully and she did the meditations, but was it because of filial obedience or actual interest?

So he had the idea for the trip, to connect her to all of the Air Nomads who had come before them, and those that would be -- Jinora's children, and possibly her brother's children, although it was too early to tell yet if he would be a bender, or what kind. Jinora was quiet as they traveled, but she seemed to appreciate his stories, and the abandoned temples seemed to soak up her silence and fascination. He told her every story he could remember his father telling him, and what he knew from the scraps of literature they had. He knew she'd read all of them, of course, but Air Nomads had practiced oral tradition, and they were really better heard that way.

When they came to the Northern Air Temple, Tenzin felt Jinora stiffen in surprise. He explained about the Earth Kingdom refugees who had sheltered there, and never left.

They landed in an open square and immediately they were swarmed by excited children. Oogi always interested people. Tenzin slipped down from the bison and nearly crashed into a young woman running by, hair tucked into her cap, a smudge of dirt on her cheek, an air glider under her arm. She blushed in embarrassment, and then offered him a hand.

"Welcome back," she said to him, clearly recognizing his tattoos. She smiled at Tenzin's surprise and bowed. He hadn't expected a welcome from a woman who was too young to have met him, the last time he had visited the temple.

"I'm Pema," she said. "The Mechanist is my grandfather. He always tells stories about the kindness of Avatar Aang and his descendants."

Tenzin remembered meeting the man, but only just. He had a faint impression of a dark-haired fellow in a wheelchair. Tenzin's father had met the original Mechanist, of course.

"He'd be thrilled to hear that you were here," Pema said. "Oh, and you brought your daughter! Jinora, right?" she said, bowing to the girl. "You don't remember this, but we sent a small gift when you were born. One day we want to have airbenders in this temple again. It only seems right. Come on, you can see Grandfather."

She led them into the temple, chattering all the while. Tenzin and Jinora followed behind, and he could see his daughter taking in everything around her, fascinated.

"I want to see everything," Jinora said, and Tenzin smiled.

 

_3\. the flying tidings whirled_

Pema was only doing semi-pro-bending, which meant a ridiculous amount of practice and virtually no spectators at their matches, which were often scheduled for off-peak hours in the mid-afternoon. She came out of the locker room thinking that she might as well have stayed in bed, considering the score in their match against the Ba Sing Se University team, the Badgerfrogs. They'd been so stomped that it was embarrassing. She was glad her sister hadn't come to the match after all. Having a baby was probably less painful than that watching that loss.

She was thinking about babies and wondering if it was worth going home yet, or if Dawa would still be screaming. One of these days she would have to get her own apartment. She almost missed the man leaning against the wall, obviously waiting for someone.

"Excuse me," he said, lifting a hand, and she paused, offering him a friendly smile. Even when they lost, Pema loved being in the arena. She never felt so powerful elsewhere. It was like she could feel the earth running in her blood.

"Yes?" she said.

The man broke into a smile that made his craggy face handsome. "I really enjoyed that," he said, gesturing back toward the arena stage. "You were great out there."

Pema smiled a little and shrugged. "We lost," she pointed out, sizing him up. He was tall, bearded, and dressed in Air Temple clothing, the red and orange easily recognizable. He was kind of cute, although he had to be at least a decade older than her. Not that she was checking him out like that. Not too much, anyway.

"The Badgerfrogs are tough to beat," he said, "ever since the university started giving out athletic scholarships. Used to be brain over brawn, at least when I went there. But you don't want to listen to the ramblings of an old man. I just wanted to let you know that I enjoyed your performance. You could go pro, you know."

He was gesturing, endearingly awkward. It amused her and she hid a smile behind her hand.

"You want to get some tea and talk about it?" she said, feeling bold. He really was pretty attractive, especially when he blushed in surprise.

"Uh, sure. Sure, why not? I'm Tenzin," he said, holding out his hand. She recognized the name -- who wouldn't? He was Avatar Aang's youngest son. He managed a lot of Air Temple business, although his sister was the airbender in the family.

And, Pema recalled, he was single.

She took him to her favorite small teashop and they talked for hours about semi-pro-bending, pro-bending, and dozens of other things.

When he was waiting for her after her next match, she took his arm without hesitating.

 

_4\. how much can come_

Ikki was ten years old when she learned who her father was, when she made the Big Mistake and let someone else see her airbending. Her mom had always said it was a secret thing, just for the two of them. Pema couldn't bend herself, but she read a lot and showed Ikki new forms, sometimes. Ikki wasn't very good at it, she knew, but she didn't get to practice very often. Mom always made her close all the windows when she did, which meant the air was sleepy and sluggish. Pema said she was imagining it, but whenever Ikki sneaked outside to practice bending, it was always easier.

Cheng was a little tattletale and when he found her favorite hiding place and saw her blowing the leaves on the trees, she couldn't convince him to keep it to himself. He told his mother, and she thought the story was unusual enough to recount to her sister, who was a local police officer who had done her training under Lin Bei Fong in far-away Republic City. The woman had reported it to her superiors, and word had gotten to Air Temple Island in record time. Not that Ikki knew how the gossip had traveled, not until some time later. All she knew was, she had come home from school a few days later and there was a strange man in her kitchen. He stroked his beard and looked at her as if shocked by her existence. Which, as it turns out, he was.

Her father's name was Tenzin and he was a master airbender, which was why he wore those awesome red and orange clothes. A really long time ago, her mom had been an Air Acolyte and had known Tenzin. The rest, her mother said, "was history," and she'd scrunched up her face when she said it, as if embarrassed. Tenzin's face had gone all red.

He wanted her to show him what she could do with airbending. Ikki looked at her mother for permission, and Pema bit her lip and nodded. So she went through a few little forms and showed him one of the tricks she'd made up herself, balancing on tiny balls of air like they were skates.

Tenzin had hugged her awkwardly and then she'd been shooed out of the room so the grown-ups could talk. Ikki listened at the keyhole, of course.

Apparently Tenzin wanted to take her back to Republic City with him to train her as an airbender. Her sister -- she had a sister! -- Jinora was an earthbender, and Tenzin didn't have any other kids, so it was really important to him. He just kept getting redder and redder as he talked.

When Ikki had heard enough, she went into her room and lay on her bed underneath the window. She let the breeze tease her hair and thought about moving, and learning to airbend, and what she would do if her mom couldn't come with her. Apparently Tenzin had a wife who wasn't Ikki's mom, so Ikki didn't know where her mom would fit in. She knew a couple kids at school who only lived with their mom or their dad, but she didn't know anyone who had two moms and one dad, so that could be weird.

Ikki had always kind of wondered what had happened to her dad, but her mom never talked about him, even when Ikki bugged her a lot. Now she finally knew who he was, and she wasn't sure how she felt about it. She drifted off there, lost in her thoughts, without even remembering to get up and put her pajamas on.

Tenzin had left by morning. But he would be back, her mother said. He'd bring his sky bison, who was named Oogi. Ikki had always wanted to ride on one. If she became an airbender, she could have one of her own, her mom told her, and she stroked Ikki's cheek, looking a little sad.

They were moving to Republic City. Ikki wouldn't have to hide her bending anymore, and she'd learn all of the cool things Tenzin knew. One day, if she wanted to, she could be in charge of the whole Air Temple Island.

"But only if you want to," her mother said, tapping Ikki on the nose. "Remember that. You can always come home to live with me."

Ikki didn't want to leave her mom all alone at home, but her mother said she'd be coming to Republic City later. She had a lot of grown-up stuff to do here first - finding someone to buy their house and finding a new place for her to live in Republic City. She didn't want to live on the island again. So she'd come as soon as she could, but if Ikki needed her before then, she'd just be a messenger hawk away.

A messenger hawk was totally not as good as having her mother's hugs in person, but Ikki promised to be really good for Tenzin anyway. She was going to be a big girl now.

When Tenzin arrived the next morning, Ikki was packed and waiting. She was trying to meditate but she wasn't very good at it, and she fell sideways when she heard the sky bison's giant feet touch the ground.

She gave her mother three really firm hugs and then climbed aboard. She waved at her mom as they took off, until Pema was just a speck on the ground.

Then she started asking all the questions she had always wanted to ask, and she didn't stop for a very long time.

 

_5\. and much can go_

"He was sixteen when you were _born_!" Bohdi said, but Pema just sighed and flopped down on her futon.

"I like older men," she said, shutting her eyes to avoid her roommate's skeptical look. She didn't have to look to know that Bohdi was leaning in the doorframe, hand on her hip and wearing her judging face. Pema hated that face. Bohdi made it every time Pema mentioned her old life, where she'd eaten meat and never meditated. Bohdi seemed to forget that not everyone here had been raised as an Air Acolyte, and that she was lucky. She was usually a good friend, though.

"And he's seeing Lin Bei Fong!" Bohdi hissed, as if she expected Lin to overhear her all the way from the police station. "Bei Fong! She could have you arrested! She's scary!"

From what Pema had seen of the police officer, she tended to agree with Bohdi. Lin was serious and severe. Not yet forty, her hair was already streaked with gray.

"She can't arrest me for _looking_ ," Pema said. That's all she was doing. She shouldn't have even told Bohdi about her crush. That was all it could be, a crush. Like Bohdi said, Tenzin had Lin, even if Lin was already almost too old to have babies, whereas she, Pema, was in the blush of youth. But she knew that was no justification for interfering. That was just something she could tell herself to feel better about daydreaming.

Bohdi was saying something that Pema ignored, something about propriety and Acolyte duties and blah blah blah. Pema sighed. She just wanted to dream a little. There wasn't anything wrong with that, right?

"Don't worry, Bohdi," she said, cutting off her friend mid-sentence. She knew that was something Bohdi hated; people always waited for each other to finish talking here, and had discussions in the most rational of tones. Pema found it sort of relaxing, but also kind of irritating. Sometimes she thought she'd never fit in, but she wasn't ready to give up yet either.

"I promise I won't tell him. I just had to tell someone before I burst, you know?" She smiled at Bohdi. Bodhi looked doubtful, but after a moment, she shook her head and smiled back.

"You don't want to be in the middle of that, trust me," she said. "I heard Tenzin's been asking her to marry him ever since they were sixteen. He thinks that she'll want to settle down any day now. It's a shame there aren't any female airbenders around. I think it used to be easier back then."

"When all the women were at one temple and all the men at another?" Pema raised an eyebrow at Bohdi. After a moment, they both burst out laughing.

Pema kept her word, although mostly because she left Air Temple Island not long afterward. Her mother was sick and needed her at home. She heard a few years later that Tenzin and Lin had broken up and that he'd married a younger woman, but she was married herself by then, and she'd forgotten the news by the time she wrangled the baby into bed.

 

_1\. and yet abide the world_

Pema was the first one to see Rohan bend. She was sitting on the porch, watching him play, on a lazy late summer afternoon. She had her bare feet in the grass, enjoying the soft tickle on the bottoms. She'd long ago learned that you had to take a personal break once in awhile, to keep your sanity. Jinora, Ikki, and Meelo were training with Tenzin, Korra was in the city with her friends, and although the baby was babbling, she wasn't going to have any deep philosophical conversations with him. She could think her own thoughts.

And she was, right up until Rohan laughed and clapped his hands and a blast of wind blew by her face. That brought her back to herself. She got up from the porch and joined him.

"Hey, baby, can you show me that again?" she asked. He stared back, confused, and stuck his thumb in his mouth. Pema wasn't sure what he had done to create the wind, or even if it had been him, and not a sudden breeze. So she just kissed him on the forehead and went back to her perch. But this time she was watching.

Ten minutes later, when she was about ready to give up and start dinner, he did it again. Pema clapped her hands and picked him up and gave him a hug.

While she was pregnant, achy and frustrated and uncomfortably huge, she'd once said that she wanted a 'normal' child. Neither Ikki nor Meelo had noticed, but she was sure Jinora had; they'd had a long talk about normalcy the very next day. She'd always felt a little bad about that. She knew what she was getting into when she married her husband. And she didn't regret any of the children. She and Tenzin were beginning to talk about trying for one last baby, in fact. She liked the way that Ikki raced herself down the hallways, and the thoughtful talks she had with Jinora about everything from polar bear dogs to philosophy. Meelo might run her ragged at times, but then he'd stop and say something so insightful that she felt like writing it down. Rohan was only two so she wasn't sure who he would be yet, but he was always smiling, and sometimes she could really use a smile.

So she had married an airbender and her children were all airbenders. She might have been Earth Kingdom by birth, but she was a member of the Air Nomads now. This was her place, and she couldn't imagine being anywhere else.

"Let's go show Daddy what you can do!" she said, and he squealed with delight. She knew where they were practicing today; it wouldn't take long to find him.

Pema didn't usually interrupt training, so the kids knew it was a special occasion. They immediately broke their stances and ran over to her, leaving their father midway through a demonstration, one leg in the air and confusion on his face. Pema laughed. He blew her a kiss and, because he was an airbender, she felt the breeze on her cheek. Then she attended to Meelo's story and Jinora's questions and Ikki's demonstrations, and after all of that she finally told them why she had come to see them.

"Bending brothers unite!" Meelo said, pumping a fist, and Ikki squeaked, "Yay!" Jinora met Pema's eyes, a question in her gaze. Her mother smiled back.

She set Rohan down and the kids began to show off for him, telling him all the things he could learn to do if he was good and did his meditations. He didn't really know what was going on, but he grinned and clapped his hands anyway.

Tenzin put his arm around his wife, and they watched the children in a comfortable silence for a moment.

"Thank you," he said, and there was a weight in his words; thank you for Jinora and Ikki and Meelo and Rohan, thank you for late nights and early mornings, thank you for warmth in my bed, for love in your heart. She could read it in his gentle expression. Her husband was not-so-secretly a romantic.

She leaned up and kissed his cheek, and enjoyed the breeze in her hair.

**Author's Note:**

> With much thanks to my Constant Reader, without whom this fic would not exist.


End file.
